Prayers of the Order
Lord Jesus,
who has willed to call me to the Ranks of the Equestrian Order
of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,
I humbly ask You,
by the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary,
of Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and all the Saints,
to help me to remain faithful
to the traditions of our Order,
in practicing and defending the Catholic,
Apostolic and Roman Religion
against impiety and in exercising charity to
my Neighbor and above all to the poor and sick
in the Holy Land.
Grant to me and my confreres the grace to
support by prayer and sacrifice the maintenance
of the Holy Places and the work of His
Beatitude the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Give me the strength to be able to
execute these desires with a truly Christian spirit,
for The Glory of God, the peace of the world,
and the good of the Equestrian Order
of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Amen.
Being a Knight or Dame of the Order carries with it certain spiritual and temporal responsibilities with the first being daily prayer for peace in the Holy Land.
The Centrality of the Resurrection
The very name of Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem points to the central focus of its spirituality—the Sepulchre of the Lord—the place where the glory of the resurrection is specially celebrated.
These words of the Second Vatican Council seem almost purposely written for the members of the Order: “Each individual layman must stand before the world a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and as a sign that God lives” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, Chapter IV, Laity, 38).
In light of these words, the Knights and Dames of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre—of the Resurrection—should take a special pride in their membership of this holy militia.
The Order, through its nature and its strictly religious and charitable purpose, does not participate in any movement or demonstration whatsoever of political character. The members of the Order cannot take part in activities of enterprises, organizations and associations whose character, purposes and programs contradict the doctrine and teachings of the Catholic Church, or partake in presumed Orders and Institutions of asserted knighthood character which are not recognized by the Holy See or not allowed by Sovereign States.
The spiritual life of the members is fostered by encouragement of prayer life and the sacramental system of the Church. In an old Constitution, attendance at daily mass was required, and although no longer prescribed, this practice is encouraged and actually performed by many knights and ladies throughout the world. Investiture in the Order is carried out in a solemn religious ceremony. Devotion to Mary is encouraged by daily recitation of the Memorare, an ancient tradition dating from the time of the Second Crusade, when Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is aid to have given this prayer to the Order. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is encouraged. The Order’s most important decoration is the Pilgrim Shell, which is formally bestowed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on any knight or lady who has made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord, that “Gloriously Empty Tomb of Christ.”
Prayer of the Order
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To you I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Membership carries with it certain spiritual and temporal responsibilities with the first being daily prayer for peace in the Holy Land. Praying the Memorare to Our Lady, Queen of Palestine is especially encouraged. The Blessed Virgin Mary, under this title, was officially declared patroness of the order in 1994, by order of the Apostolic See. The Memorare was given to the Order by St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, when he urged the Second Crusade.
Patroness of the Order
To you, Virgin Mother Mary,
Queen of the Land of Christ we come to praise you,
to thank you and entrust to you all your children,
inhabitants and pilgrims of this Land.
Virgin, Daughter of Zion,
teach us the love you have for everyone, without distinction.
Show us your merciful heart, give us your clarity of vision.
As in the days of Nazareth teach us to listen attentively
to the voice of God and to his Word of life.
Teach us fidelity in our daily work
and silence capable of creating profound communion.
Like in Cana watch over families,
so that there is no lack of joy and unity.
As on the streets of Galilee and Judea,
precede us on the path of discipleship
in the footsteps of your beloved Son
to the supreme offering at the foot of Calvary.
As in the Upper Room, intercede with the gift of the Spirit
that cries in us: “Abbà”.
The One Father for Jews, Christians and Muslims,
Help us all to walk on the paths of
forgiveness and reconciliation so the walls that
divide may fall.
Mother of the Prince of Peace,
also gift us the taste of Heaven that supports our hope,
so that soon “justice and peace will kiss” this Holy Land
and the entire earth.
Amen.
Our Lady, Queen of Palestine, Pray for us and all the peoples of the Lands made sacred by your Son’s Life, Death, and Resurrection.
O Mary Immaculate,
gracious Queen of Heaven and of Earth, behold us prostrate before thy exalted throne.
Full of confidence in thy goodness and in thy boundless power,
we beseech thee to turn a pitying glance upon Palestine,
which more than any other country belongs to thee,
since thou hast graced it with thy birth, thy virtues and thy sorrows,
and from there hast given the Redeemer to the world.
Remember that there especially thou wert constituted
our tender Mother, the dispenser of graces.
Watch, therefore, with special protection
over thy native country, scatter from it the shades of error,
for it was there the Sun of Eternal Justice shone.
Bring about the speedy fulfilment of the promise,
which issued from the lips of Thy Divine Son,
that there should be one fold and one Shepherd.
Obtain for us all that we may serve the Lord
in sanctity and justice during the days of our life,
so that, by the merits of Jesus and with thy motherly aid,
we may pass at last from this earthly Jerusalem
to the splendors of the heavenly one.
Amen.
Our heavenly Mother, Daughter and Queen of the Holy Land,
we turn to you to obtain your powerful intercession.
May graces fall like abundant rain on your people, heal all the hardened hearts,
and bring justice and peace to the Holy Land.
May Jerusalem shine like a beacon of unity between Christians who are privileged
to live close to the Holy sites, sanctified by the life, the passion,
the death and resurrection of Jesus.
May this Holy City be a haven of friendship and understanding
between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
May intolerance and suspicion vanish, may love eradicate fear.
Our Heavenly Mother,
look with pity on all those who live on the land which is yours,
afflicted by the differences and the conflicts for many generations.
May all those who do not believe in the one God
be touched by your grace and reach the fullness of faith, hope and love.
Through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Our Lady, Daughter and Queen of the Holy Land,
pray for us.
Our Lady, Queen of Palestine,
extend your hand over the Holy Land and over all who live there:
Jews, Muslims, Druze and Christians, Palestinians, Israelis, migrant workers and refugees.
Our Lady, intercede for us all and especially for the Church,
the Body of your Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord.
We have been sent to preach Good News to all in the land that is yours and His,
the land of the patriarchs, kings, prophets, apostles and of the first community
formed to walk in the way of your Son, the Mother Church of Jerusalem.
This mission needs the courage and the perseverance,
the wisdom and the faith that were yours, pray for us.
On your knees He, who was your Lord and Master,
learnt to speak and to pray, to act and to obey.
We ask you to teach us to speak and to pray,
to act and to obey today in the land called to be holy.
In the midst of war and hatred, walls, occupation and discrimination,
fear and rejection, instruct us how to be instruments of justice and peace, pardon and reconciliation.
We affirm with you that he is our peace.
Show us the way to incarnate in our life as Church both fidelity to your Son and an embracing love for all in this land,
especially for those who are the poorest and the most excluded, the homeless, the refugees, the prisoners, those who are maltreated, oppressed and are victims of injustice.
Our Lady, Queen of Palestine, you are our mother, given to us by your Son on the Cross.
With you, we are called to be witnesses to the Resurrection that already heralds His Kingdom.
Modeling ourselves on you, we ask Him to anoint us as Spirit filled proclaimers of the Good News that He has vanquished death by His death on the Cross and has given life to those in the tombs.
May we, members of His Body the Church, be living signs that point to the Kingdom that is already among us.
Amen.
Mother Mary, Queen of Palestine, pray for us.
Father David Neuhaus, S.J.